Don't repeal the Affordable Health Care Act/Obamacare

The Affordable Health Care Act has been one of the most effective government programs of recent history. I live in Mr. Reed's district in upstate New York and know many people whose lives have been radically improved by it: being able to keep children insured until age 26 has been a great relief for so many parents; the right to coverage in spite of a pre-existing condition is something we all want to be sure of; and the right to insurance that will protect those of us on the financial edge from utter ruin resulting from one major illness or accident has given thousands in your district a peace of mind they never had before. The Act made it possible to leave one job for another without worrying about whether insurance will be available at the new job, which is critical to people who work for a living. It gives us security and flexibility. Repeal will be disastrous for us all. Mr. Reed, you say you have been getting messages from your constituents urging that the Act be repealed because it is a hardship. This doesn't make sense, a record number of Americans signed up for it in 2016. The alternative is no coverage and worse health. I attended a recent town meeting you held where everyone in the room indicated that they want it to stay in place. This petition is an effort to show you that your constituents want you to work to save it.

Nonpartisan evaluations have found without exception that the Act has been by far more beneficial than costly and every year it gets better: 6 1/2 million signed up in 2016, almost half a million more than the previous year. They want that protection and they need it. Mr. Reed, please do not vote to repeal something that has changed so many lives for the better: do the right thing, the moral thing, and keep the Act in place, and protect your constituents as you promised to do when you took your oath.

PS Mr. Reed, you had a gastric bypass in order to lose weight. You told the press that diet and exercise weren't working, so you had it done for your health's sake, just as many others have been saved from serious conditions by having this surgery. Did your insurance pay for it? If Congress repeals the Act, will any of your constituents who are poor and struggling with obesity be able to have it when their insurance is taken away? If not, do you think that is right, that you can have it because you can afford it, and they can't?